Corset.



No. 759,072.` PATENTED MAY 3, 1904. W. 1?'. BROOKS.

. CORSET. APPLIGATION FILED Nov. 2, 190s.

No MODEL.

F' Y L., I

, N 1- i L F1 nu: mam 11ans en. rmnamno, msmuorom n L.

no. I759,072.

l* UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

Ycotiser.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N. r#59,072, dated May e, i904.

l Application filed November 2,1903. Serial No. 179,463. (No model.) l l To @ZZ whom, t may con/@crm Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. BROOKS, of

New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Corsets; and -I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsl and the letters of reference marked thereon,

to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, and which said drawingsconstitute part l, of this specification, and represent, inf

illustrate the invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view i on the line a b of Fig. l; Fig. 3,' a front view ofthe preferred form of reinforcing-wires for the lacing-strips; Fig. 4L, a similar `view showing a single reinforcing-wire; Fig. 5 a plan view of my improved form of husk-steel;` Fig. 6, a plan viewi of a corsetesteel in a modiiie form for yprocuring iiexibility at itsupper en This invention relates to an improvement in corsets, and ,particularly tothe so-called front-laced corsetskthat is, corsets which are provided at the `front with sections which may be laced together. Such corsets are usually provided with means for detachably connecting one side of the lacing-section with the body of the corset, so that it may be readily removed; and one object of this invention is to provide convenient means for attaching' one section of a lacing-strip to the body of the corset.

In front-laced corsets it is desirable that some support should be given to the center of the corset and also prevent the lacing from pressing' against the person of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supplemental flap which contains a busk-strip to extend beneath the lacing.

Another desirable feature of front-laced corsets is to arrange the eyelets as near the edge as possible and to have that edge thin, so that the lacing' extending over it shall lie flat, and a further object of this invention is to so arrange the eyelets near the edges of the lacing-sections and to reinforce the sections by wires; and the invention consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described,and particullarly recited in the claims.

The bodyfof the corset may be of any` proved design, preferably a sog-called Lclosedback corset or corset, which is not,V divided at the back, althougln'ifdesired, the usual backlacing may be employed.

By the term lacing-strip` Iy wish tobe` understood as including the usual lacing edges ofthe corset, eithen at the frontoi back or at other points.

y vIn carrying out myinvcntion I employ two lacing-strips A `B the section Bforming one edge of the front section @while the section A is adapted to be detachably connected with the 'forward edge of the other front section I). In eachof these sections is a steel E, arranged in a pocket in rear of the meeting edges of the strips, in" the extreme outer edge of which are reinforcing-wires F. These wires, which are smaller in dimensions than the steels E, may heformed in three or more sections, 4as shown in Figs. l and 3, the ends of the wires ybeing connected .with the steel E, or

la single wiremay be employed, as indicated inFig. 4E, the extreme ends of the wires being connected with `the steel, or, if desired, a wire arranged in Ithe extreme edge of the sections may be inserted with its ends left free or independent of. the steels.` Between the steels and the wires lacing-eyelets Gr are placed for the reception of a lacing H, by which the sections may be drawn together, the wires permitting the eyelets to be arranged close to the outer edge of the lacing-strips, the wires reinfrcing those edges and giving sufcient strength to withstand the necessary strain without materially increasing the thickness of the edges. rIhe lacing-strip A may be connected with the front section Din any desired manner, as with the usual corset-claspsg but preferably I employ ball-andsocket fasteners, the ball members I being secured to the section D through the usual steel J in the edge of that section, while the socket members K are secured to the edge of the section A, which is more or less HeXibleM-that is, in the portion of the fabric adjacent to the steel E therein.

To provide a central busk-strip for the corset, I attach a fly L to the inner face of the section C, this fly extending beyond the edge of the lacing-stripB and provided with a central bush-steel M, which will stand parallel with the edge of the lacing-strip B. It is desirable that this busk-strip should be more ieXible at its upper end than at the center or lower end, and to accomplish this the upper end of the bush-steel M is formed with a slot N, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, the slot being tapered from its upper end downward, the removal of the metal to form a slot giving greater iiexibility at this end of the steel. Other front steels for a corset may be made flexible in the same way or by removing a portion of the steel on one-or both edges, as shown in Fig. 6.

By employing reinforcing-wires the lacingeyelets may be arranged in the eXtreme edges of the lacing-strips, which by thev provision of the wires become sufficiently rigid to resist the necessary strain. The employment of the ball-and-socket fasteners permits the ready attachment or detachment ofthe lacing-strip A from the front section of the corset and furnishes a neat finish to that portion of the garment and avoids the one-sided appearance noticeable when the detachment is made by the common corset-clasps, ywhile the fly provides a central busk-strip and underlying the lacing closes the opening between them and overcomesy the objections heretofore in frontlaced corsets. A further advantage of providing a central bush-strip is that it permits the use of lighter steels at sides of the center where theV lacing-strips are connected with the body portion of the corset. v y

I am aware that double steels or steels of uniform size have been employed at the edges of a corset, between which steels the lacingeyelets have been placed, and do not wish to be understood as claiming such as my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y 1. In a corset, the combination with the lacl i ing-strips thereof, of steels in said strips, eyelets between the said steels and the edges of the strips, reinforcing-wires between the eyelets and the extreme edges of the strips, said wires being of smaller dimensions than said steels, and the ends of said wires connected with said steels, substantially as described.

2. In a corset, the combination with the lacing-strips thereof, of steels arranged therein, eyelets between said steels and the edges of said strips, a plurality of reinforcing-wires between the eyelets and the edges of said strips, said wires being of smaller dimensions than said steels, and the ends of said wires connected with said steels, substantially as described. y

3. In a corset, the combination with a front section having a steel in its edge and one member of a lacing-section, of ball members of fastening devices connectedv to the frontsection through the edge steel thereof, and socket members of fastening devices in the edgeof the lacing-section and adapted to be connected with the ball members on the front'section whereby the lacing-strip is connected with the front section, substantially as described.

. 4. 1n a corset, the combinationwith the front sections, one edge of one section terminating in a lacing-strip, of a fly connected to said section lbeneath said lacing-strip and projecting beyond it, a central bush-steel in said fly and forming a` support at the center of the corset, and-a steel lacing-strip connected by lacings with the front edge of one side of the corset and adapted to be connected with the frontedgeof the other section of the corset, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. WM. F. BROOKS. Witnesses:

FREDERIC C. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY. 

